Symposium CM03-In Situ/Operando Analysis of Electrochemical Materials and Interfaces

Dynamic phenomena across length and time scales often determine the behavior of electrochemical systems for energy conversion and storage. Examples of such phenomena include ion transport, phase transformations in materials, interfacial dynamics, morphological evolution, and electron/ion transfer. These processes are often coupled, and they significantly affect the operation of batteries, electrocatalysts, fuel cells, photoelectrochemical electrodes, and other systems. To design energy storage and conversion systems with significantly improved performance, it is critical to fundamentally understand these dynamic phenomena and how they interact across length and time scales to give rise to the emergent behavior of the system.

This symposium focuses on understanding the dynamic behavior of electrochemical energy systems via the use of in situ and operando experimental techniques. This rapidly advancing field has made great progress in revealing fundamental operational and reaction mechanisms in such systems in recent years. This symposium invites submissions related to a variety of different electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices and systems, including batteries, fuel cells, electrocatalysts, and photoelectrochemical cells. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following: fundamental understanding of interfacial dynamics and (in)stability, phase transformations, ionic transport within materials and devices, chemomechanical effects, mesoscale dynamic behavior, and degradation pathways. A goal of this symposium is to bring together researchers who use different experimental techniques (x-ray, electron, optical, neutron, and scanning probe methods for imaging, spectroscopy, diffraction, and scattering) to discuss results and opportunities related to understanding various aspects of electrochemical behavior. The symposium also encourages submissions in which a multi-modal approach is taken to understand phenomena (i.e., the use of different in situ/operando techniques), as well as studies in which in situ/operando experiments are combined with modeling.

Topics will include:

In situ/operando TEM; X-ray imaging, spectroscopy, and diffraction; optical microscopy and spectroscopy; neutron imaging and diffraction; scanning probe methods
Quantifying coupled mechanical, chemical, morphological, and electrochemical behavior at electrode/electrolyte interfaces during operation
Phase transformations in battery electrode materials, interfacial properties/behavior, mesoscale chemomechanical interactions in battery electrodes, solid-electrolyte interphase evolution
Interfaces and structural/morphological/chemical evolution within solid-state batteries
Electrocatalyst surface structure/dynamics, stability, morphological evolution, and degradation
Understanding metal electrode growth and dissolution dynamics in liquid electrolyte and solid electrolyte systems
Photoelectrochemical degradation/corrosion/stabilization under illumination
Multi-modal characterization of coupled phenomena
Combining in situ/operando studies with first principles and continuum-scale modeling